WOMEN in Scotland are almost twice as likely to suffer a fatal asthma attack compared to men, according to new research.

While pollen, air pollution and dust are well known triggers for people with the chronic lung condition, campaigners stressed that too little research is being done into how fluctuations in the female sex hormone can trigger symptom flare-ups and even life-threatening asthma attacks.

Charity Asthma & Lung UK has launched a major new report, “Asthma is Worse for Women”, to highlight the links between puberty, periods, pregnancy and peri-menopause with higher rates of hospitalisation and death among female patients.

Mome Mukherjee, a senior research fellow at the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research (AUKCAR) at Edinburgh University said: “Despite the UK having some of the most comprehensive health data in the world at its fingertips, data on sex hormones and asthma remains largely untapped and unexplored.

“Because of this, women with asthma continue to experience worse outcomes. There is not enough research into why women are more likely to be hospitalised and die from asthma and what treatments, new and existing, could help women.”

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There are 201,000 women in Scotland with asthma, but Asthma & Lung UK said they are being let down by a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Over the past five years, in Scotland, 407 women have died from an asthma attack compared to 177 men, with analysis by the charity of deaths between 2016 and 2020 finding that women in Scotland had been 1.7 times more likely than males to suffer a fatal attack.

Rates of hospitalisation for asthma among adults aged 20 to 49 are also three times higher for women in Scotland than men.

The situation is in stark contrast to childhood, when asthma is more common and more severe in boys – a situation that reverses from puberty.

The charity is encouraging GPs to consider increasing female patients’ doses of preventer medication if flare-ups appear linked to hormonal fluctuations, and is also calling for increased investment in potentially life-saving research into the sex-related differences in asthma.

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Olivia Fulton, 36, from Edinburgh, has severe asthma and noticed a link between her periods and worsening asthma symptoms as a teenager.

She said: “I was a late bloomer, going through puberty when I was 16, but as this was also an important school year and I was sitting my first formal exams, the reason for my asthma being so unpredictable was put down to stress.

"It was not until I came under the care of a female asthma specialist that there was any suggestion that my hormones could be a trigger.

“After keeping a diary for a few months charting my asthma symptoms and my menstrual cycle, we found there was a correlation between the two.

"There would be a marked change in how much air I could blow out of my lungs, symptoms such as wheezing and breathlessness and using my reliever inhaler more, the week before I was due my period.

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Ms Fulton said there was “very little information” about the role of sex hormones in asthma.

She added: “With the help of a gynaecologist, we tried different medications to help my asthma symptoms before my period. My asthma still has a big impact on my life, but my hormones are no longer a trigger for me.

"I have now been on a hormonal contraception for almost six years, and it has really helped manage this trigger for my asthma.”

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma & Lung UK, said: “Gaps in our knowledge are failing women, leaving them struggling with debilitating asthma symptoms, stuck in a cycle of being in and out of hospital and in some cases, losing their lives.

"By understanding the role of sex hormones in asthma, we could transform the lives of the three million women in the UK.”